Physiotherapy services in Laois are to be reduced resulting in some patients in the county having to make a forty mile round-trip for treatment.
Sean Fleming TD said that he was angered to hear that many people requiring physiotherapy services in County Laois are going to have a much reduced service as well as the withdrawal of service from many areas in the county.
“I raised the matter with the Minister for Health and the HSE has come back and informed me that the services that were available in the Graiguecullen Health Centre are now being transferred to the Community Nursing Unit in Abbeyleix,” he said.
“Many people who use the service in the Graiguecullen will now have to make a round trip of over 40 miles to Abbeyleix and back to avail of this service in the future. Many of these people are elderly and this will cause major upheaval for them,” he said.
In addition to this, he said, the HSE has also confirmed that there has been over a 50% reduction in physiotherapy staff available in Portarlington. Last year there were 2.1 full-time staff in Portarlington for physiotherapy services and this has been reduced to just one person in 2017.
Major reduction
“We are now seeing a major reduction in services in the Portarlington and Graiguecullen areas which have large catchment areas for patients.
“The Health Service Executive talk about consolidating services and their wish to recruit new staff.
“I am fearful that once the HSE remove and curtail the services in Graiguecullen and Portarlington that we will never see them restored to the area again,” Deputy Fleming said.
He called on the HSE to seek approval for the additional staff that are required in this area and that they are recruited as urgently as possible.
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